WEBVTT - Bonus Episode! Boondocking with Brad: Back to Basics

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This is park Landia,

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. We sold our loft

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<v Speaker 1>in Chicago, moved into an r V, and now we're

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<v Speaker 1>talking in the country full time with our dog Finn,

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<v Speaker 1>exploring America's national parks. And today we're bringing you another

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<v Speaker 1>episode of Boon Docking with Brad. Now today we are

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<v Speaker 1>going to be discussing back to basics. Before we even

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<v Speaker 1>jumped into our V full time, we had to sell

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<v Speaker 1>off our stuff. We had to fix our loft to

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<v Speaker 1>sell it. We had to talk with friends. We threw

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<v Speaker 1>yard sales, groad sales, We went to the um Goodwill

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<v Speaker 1>and gave well donations. Uh, we had to do a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of different things in order to do this. There's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of mental minimalization and physical mentaliza minimalization. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>for sure, it was emotional and stressful and in addition

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<v Speaker 1>to just being a lot of work and preparation. And

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<v Speaker 1>it's different, much different than like moving because I've moved

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<v Speaker 1>several times, especially in and around Chicago, and this was

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<v Speaker 1>really different because now I'm having to go through pretty

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<v Speaker 1>much each and every material possession in way, whether I

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<v Speaker 1>need it or not, which we could put it in storage,

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<v Speaker 1>or if we put it in storage, yeah, which there's

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<v Speaker 1>a whole another thing. Yeah, And then like there's this

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<v Speaker 1>this mental minimalization that you have to go through because

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<v Speaker 1>you're realizing that you're giving up this city. There's so

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<v Speaker 1>much to do there, there's so many things to to

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<v Speaker 1>remember and to people to talk to and say goodbye,

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<v Speaker 1>and and what you're doing is you're trying to like

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<v Speaker 1>get ready to go on the road for a long

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<v Speaker 1>period of time. And what I don't think a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of people realize is that there's this mental piece where

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<v Speaker 1>you have to like restructure how you think, how you feel,

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<v Speaker 1>how you act um to be able to focus on

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<v Speaker 1>RV living because it is such an undertaking in the beginning.

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<v Speaker 1>So when I talk about like mental minimalization, it's really

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<v Speaker 1>just trying to refocus that into what we need for

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<v Speaker 1>the RV. And so when you start thinking about, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I have a ten ft by twenty six ft space

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<v Speaker 1>to put all of my belongings in, how do I

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<v Speaker 1>do that? Yeah, it's definitely not easy. We couldn't take

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<v Speaker 1>your childhood desk, but we did put that in storage. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I know, but it's still it's one of those sentimental things.

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<v Speaker 1>So you know, we had to find out what it was.

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<v Speaker 1>And so I had to take a couple of trips

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<v Speaker 1>to the storage in Indiana, to the farm, and it

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<v Speaker 1>was a it was a journey for sure. Yeah, I know,

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<v Speaker 1>like for me too, I needed to specifically find items

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<v Speaker 1>or keep items that made me feel at home, because

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<v Speaker 1>that was really hard. Leaving Chicago was really hard, especially

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<v Speaker 1>for me because I was there for so long and

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<v Speaker 1>was so rooted there and leaving was just a real

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<v Speaker 1>emotional struggle. So I knew I needed to get items

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<v Speaker 1>that would make me feel mentally comfortable, and that means

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<v Speaker 1>like movies and games and books and stuff like that.

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<v Speaker 1>But I was used to having in using and a

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<v Speaker 1>regular basists. I remember that, uh, Luise, you and her

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<v Speaker 1>went to a little store and bought a mini cactus cacti,

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<v Speaker 1>and uh, you know you wanted to bring that because

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<v Speaker 1>you know that's something that would make you think of her. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>I told you, Louise that Matt would even be able

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<v Speaker 1>to kill a cactus. And we're sorry to say that

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<v Speaker 1>about eight months in, I don't even know lasted that long,

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<v Speaker 1>I like killed it in record. I was trying to

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<v Speaker 1>give you some I was really trying to give you

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<v Speaker 1>some extralyway here. I don't know, I don't know it

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<v Speaker 1>has it has since passed. Um. And then like Maggie

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<v Speaker 1>gave you the neon cactus sign that's like still next

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<v Speaker 1>to our bed. That's like we had like uh, double

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<v Speaker 1>sided sticky taped it right to the sides. That's a

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<v Speaker 1>little nightlight, uh for when we wanted to glow. And

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<v Speaker 1>so it's just really you know, there's those things. You

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<v Speaker 1>see them and they remind you of the people around you,

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<v Speaker 1>and that's great. I can handle like inanimate objects, but

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<v Speaker 1>living things, Yeah, Finn, it's great, but exactly yeah, Finn

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<v Speaker 1>is like yeah, then Finn is very well take care

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<v Speaker 1>of and spoiled, so we don't have to worry about

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<v Speaker 1>that at least um. But yeah, So you know there's

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<v Speaker 1>those like things you're like, Okay, it's not necessary to

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<v Speaker 1>have it, but it's something that you want and it

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<v Speaker 1>helps you with that memory or that feeling of that friend.

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<v Speaker 1>And and so there's things like that you bring. That's

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<v Speaker 1>why we have photos up in our r V and

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<v Speaker 1>all these different little aspects to to make it really

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<v Speaker 1>more homie. Well, that's a question Uh, we get asked

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<v Speaker 1>a lot, or like I get people ask me a

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<v Speaker 1>lot like how do you make it feel? Or like

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<v Speaker 1>what do you recommend you know, really basic questions like

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<v Speaker 1>for people moving into an RV for the first time

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<v Speaker 1>and how to feel comfortable with it. And my one

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<v Speaker 1>of my number one recommendations is doing stuff like hanging photos,

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<v Speaker 1>not framed or anything that's you don't really have the

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<v Speaker 1>space for that and it's not necessary. But like what

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<v Speaker 1>we do is just having photos that we printed out

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<v Speaker 1>and we literally just kind of tape them up essentially,

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<v Speaker 1>so they don't clothes line pit. Yeah, so they don't

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<v Speaker 1>take a physical room. They're just adhered right to the

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<v Speaker 1>cabinets and stuff. And it goes a long way because

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<v Speaker 1>it's not only does it live en up the space,

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<v Speaker 1>but you're surrounded by these positive memories and friendly faces

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<v Speaker 1>and it's really uplifting, it really is, and uh, you

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<v Speaker 1>know getting actually, God, we had a lot. We have

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of collections. Um, we have a tiki mug collection.

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<v Speaker 1>I had a liquor collection. I did have a record collection,

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<v Speaker 1>but I ended up selling that before going on the

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<v Speaker 1>road because I don't know why. I probably shouldn't have

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<v Speaker 1>but that's okay. They're in a good home and everything

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<v Speaker 1>is good there and people are using them, so that's

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<v Speaker 1>what matters. Records are meant to be played, that stored,

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<v Speaker 1>and I just didn't want them to go bad because

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<v Speaker 1>they were in a storage area and not like temperature controlled.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, but I sold. I mean I was at

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<v Speaker 1>least four or five records in there. UM and our

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<v Speaker 1>tiki mugs. We had to wrap them all up, box

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<v Speaker 1>them all up, label them. We took down our National

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<v Speaker 1>Parks wall which has to travel on one side and

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<v Speaker 1>traveled to on the other. Um, and then it has

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<v Speaker 1>all well had nine national parks at the time, so um,

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<v Speaker 1>all their postcards in these beautiful frames and basically as

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<v Speaker 1>we traveled to them, we would move the frame from

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<v Speaker 1>one side to the other and then we collect knickknacks

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<v Speaker 1>to fill gaps and a beautiful wall. Um. But we

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<v Speaker 1>had to pack all that away. We can't bring that

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<v Speaker 1>all into our v but we did bring one sign

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<v Speaker 1>and that's the Jack carrollac quote. Their suitcases are piled

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<v Speaker 1>on the sidewalk again, yet there's longer ways to go

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<v Speaker 1>because the road is life. Um, and that's hanging on

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<v Speaker 1>our fridge now and so we kept that one part

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<v Speaker 1>of the wall because it's a beautiful quote and it's

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<v Speaker 1>on this beautiful piece of wood um that our friends

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<v Speaker 1>at Tiftwood in New Mexico UM made for us UM

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<v Speaker 1>when we were getting that National Parks wall together. And

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<v Speaker 1>so there's just so many beautiful aspects that we wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to bring with us that we couldn't. And then close

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<v Speaker 1>Matt had he actually had our closet space you did,

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<v Speaker 1>and actually I remember one Christmas he surprised me by

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<v Speaker 1>reducing it to half of it and he actually allowed

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<v Speaker 1>me to have half the space after three years of

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<v Speaker 1>being married. So that was like a Christmas gift to

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<v Speaker 1>me one year because I was like, I don't have

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<v Speaker 1>any room and he did that for me. So that

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<v Speaker 1>was really nice. Yeah, because in addition to having this

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<v Speaker 1>whole closet, I also had a big armor and I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>Merry Christmas, here's half a closet that you are entitled too,

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<v Speaker 1>but I have refused to give me. But then we

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<v Speaker 1>had to reduce even more and so now I mean

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<v Speaker 1>it's gross, like we're talking about. That was a four

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<v Speaker 1>ft deep by fifteen ft wide um with two like

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<v Speaker 1>racks high where you can hang clothes. Um. And then

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<v Speaker 1>Matt finally reduced his to half of that and then

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<v Speaker 1>from there, now we have a two ft by three

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<v Speaker 1>ft by five ft tall box for mats hanguble clothes,

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<v Speaker 1>and three drawers too small or too shallow, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>four or five inches tall drawers, and then one that's

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<v Speaker 1>like a foot deep. And that's all he gets, basically nothing. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So what we had to do is we had to

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<v Speaker 1>find like, okay, these are the good clothes. We don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to bring these on the road because they will

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<v Speaker 1>get ruined. And there's some clothes that we did and

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<v Speaker 1>you know what, they're used so much that you know, um,

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<v Speaker 1>we never had to really deal with this in Chicago

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<v Speaker 1>because we didn't like do that. But like we have

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<v Speaker 1>hats that are literally were this beautiful black color and

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<v Speaker 1>now they like have brown spots because they've been out

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<v Speaker 1>in the sun so much and we wear them consistently

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<v Speaker 1>and constantly. Um. And so there's just different things that

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<v Speaker 1>you have to like make sure that you don't bring

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<v Speaker 1>your nice, nice clothes, but bring a nice set of

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<v Speaker 1>clothes so that way you can go out on a

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<v Speaker 1>date together and things like that. So these are things

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<v Speaker 1>that we had to think about. It's just all this

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<v Speaker 1>minimalizing and and just trying to figure out what are

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<v Speaker 1>necessities to be able to live this lifestyle. Yeah. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>like you were saying board games, that was another collection.

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<v Speaker 1>We probably had over eight board games because you probably

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<v Speaker 1>like FT to sixty. Yeah, I mean that's still on

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<v Speaker 1>the high end. But we had a good amount of

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<v Speaker 1>board games. Probably, No, we had more than that, definitely

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<v Speaker 1>more than that. So we'll agree to disagree. But we

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<v Speaker 1>ended up bringing five with us, and now we have

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<v Speaker 1>like acquired five more somehow. Yeah, they fell up action

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<v Speaker 1>of the aret, like very different cupboards. Right above our bed,

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<v Speaker 1>we have all of our little uh board games and

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<v Speaker 1>you know there's ones like Trekking the National Parks essential. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>then there's that train game and I might Ticket to

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<v Speaker 1>Rub such a fun game. Those are two very similar,

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<v Speaker 1>different but similar. We need to play that game. We do.

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<v Speaker 1>I really misplaying problem. It's like a lot of the

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<v Speaker 1>board games we have are meant for a minimum of

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<v Speaker 1>three people. Well, we can play Ticket to Ride just

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<v Speaker 1>the two of us, but you would always get mad

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<v Speaker 1>at me. Be it's the more people you play it

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<v Speaker 1>with the better, because it's just more fun that way,

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<v Speaker 1>but also like kind of softens the blow and I

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<v Speaker 1>feel less betrayed by people. You said it, you said

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<v Speaker 1>by you go ahead and keep it, So that's the ideal,

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<v Speaker 1>And like Ticket to Ride, I would just get too

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<v Speaker 1>annoyed with Yeah, no, and you know what I'm When

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<v Speaker 1>you have other people, you can actually like turn them

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<v Speaker 1>against me, and that's what you do. And if they

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<v Speaker 1>want to do that and they're on their welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>That's why you'll never play Monopoly with me because I'm

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<v Speaker 1>too good at it and I just hate that game terrible.

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<v Speaker 1>It tears apart families. Yes, but yeah, so we had

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<v Speaker 1>to decide do we bring Monopoly, and somehow we had

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<v Speaker 1>four different types of Monopoly people the National Parks regular

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<v Speaker 1>Mario Mario, Oh my gosh. Now we just have the

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<v Speaker 1>National Parks version, which is that definitely makes it like better,

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<v Speaker 1>but we still don't play it because, yeah, I won't

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<v Speaker 1>play it like with you. I played it with like

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<v Speaker 1>my siblings one and that is true. Yeah, he won't.

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<v Speaker 1>And I love that game like I love playing Monopoly,

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<v Speaker 1>and you're too devious. Yeah, I even tell you my

0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:12.640
<v Speaker 1>strategy and you still don't like, Well, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>get it. I can't do that game, which is the

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<v Speaker 1>worst strategy now that I think about it, because I

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<v Speaker 1>realized it's gentrification. Um, exactly what you're doing now. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I just realized I'm a horrible human being when I

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<v Speaker 1>play Monopoly. Yeah, you're just realizing. Uh, you are listening

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<v Speaker 1>to park Landia from my heart radio. Hi, I'm Matt

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm Brad. This is park Landia. So there's just

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of different things that you have to like

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<v Speaker 1>really condense. I mean even your potting pans. Like who

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<v Speaker 1>would think that you couldn't bring all your pottent pans.

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<v Speaker 1>We only have like seven eight of them, but like

0:12:56.920 --> 0:13:00.480
<v Speaker 1>literally now we're allowed to have like two. We have

0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:06.079
<v Speaker 1>our like frying pan and are pot um and it's

0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:09.040
<v Speaker 1>a small pot not a big one. Um. But basically

0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:11.560
<v Speaker 1>we had to just find these things, and you know,

0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:13.720
<v Speaker 1>there's some things we had to get rid of or

0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:17.240
<v Speaker 1>we put them in storage for a kitchen stuff because

0:13:17.240 --> 0:13:20.480
<v Speaker 1>we had to get like foldable or stackable or different

0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:23.840
<v Speaker 1>things like I can't bring all of my cocktail glasses,

0:13:23.920 --> 0:13:27.600
<v Speaker 1>like I have my coupes, my highballs, my rocks classes,

0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.559
<v Speaker 1>you know, all these different kinds of cocktail glasses, beautiful

0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:34.800
<v Speaker 1>vintage ones. I mean, I love I love making cocktails. Um,

0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.840
<v Speaker 1>that's something you might not know about me. But I

0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:41.720
<v Speaker 1>make my own bidders when I have space. And there's

0:13:41.720 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 1>a lot of like creative outlets that I have around

0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:50.080
<v Speaker 1>cocktails and making making them. And that's because I got

0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:53.679
<v Speaker 1>sick on Cosmos when we were first dating, because we're

0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:57.360
<v Speaker 1>watching Real Housewives and drinking Cosmos, and um, I said,

0:13:57.360 --> 0:13:58.800
<v Speaker 1>I'll never do that to you again. So I had

0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:02.040
<v Speaker 1>to learn how to makes for real. Yeah, Cossa poltins, No,

0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:05.160
<v Speaker 1>I can't do those. I like martinis, but Cosa polsans

0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:07.960
<v Speaker 1>are too sweet and I had like two of them

0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.640
<v Speaker 1>and you probably made them doubles now they're probably triples

0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.120
<v Speaker 1>like that. It was bad, Like I shouldn't have making

0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:16.920
<v Speaker 1>cocktails at that point. Ever since then, when I seen

0:14:17.000 --> 0:14:19.680
<v Speaker 1>Matt crawled up on the floor and then after something

0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:22.160
<v Speaker 1>went very wrong, I was like, okay, that's right. I

0:14:22.160 --> 0:14:24.680
<v Speaker 1>remember like waking I don't remember much. I remember like

0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.640
<v Speaker 1>waking up. Probably crawled up in the people position, like

0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:31.520
<v Speaker 1>on the bathroom floor. Yeah, I throw him as a

0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.480
<v Speaker 1>pillow and I'm I'm just gonna leave him there. Because

0:14:33.720 --> 0:14:35.800
<v Speaker 1>I don't want him to I just don't want to

0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:37.840
<v Speaker 1>move him better. But I made sure he was okay.

0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:43.240
<v Speaker 1>So don't think I'm just I Matri had water and

0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:45.360
<v Speaker 1>I gave him telling all and I you know, I

0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.000
<v Speaker 1>sat there with him for hours. I even fell asleep

0:14:48.200 --> 0:14:50.760
<v Speaker 1>on the floor, just making sure he was good. And

0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:54.000
<v Speaker 1>then um, then I just I went finally, like went

0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:57.000
<v Speaker 1>onto the couch because he was okay. But and it

0:14:57.080 --> 0:15:01.160
<v Speaker 1>wasn't as dramatic as this sounds. So anyway, we don't

0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:06.400
<v Speaker 1>make hotsmos in the r V. UM. Yeah, so there's

0:15:06.440 --> 0:15:08.520
<v Speaker 1>just so much like you know, you have all this space.

0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:12.560
<v Speaker 1>The other day, we went into a friend's house, um,

0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:15.080
<v Speaker 1>and we I was like, Matt, when is the last

0:15:15.080 --> 0:15:17.480
<v Speaker 1>time we've been in a home? And he was like, oh,

0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:21.160
<v Speaker 1>that's probably like two months ago, um, at my dad's house.

0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:25.640
<v Speaker 1>And I said, what, like, just think of this concept

0:15:25.640 --> 0:15:29.080
<v Speaker 1>of not being in a home, any home, your own home,

0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:32.880
<v Speaker 1>any home for two months. You're living in ten by

0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:34.920
<v Speaker 1>space and so when you go into this home, you're

0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:38.880
<v Speaker 1>like it's so gigantic, Like their bathroom was bigger than

0:15:38.920 --> 0:15:42.920
<v Speaker 1>our r V. Legit like no joke, And so you

0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.520
<v Speaker 1>just have to remember, like when you're minimalizing, minimalized to

0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:50.800
<v Speaker 1>your bathroom, that's about the size that you get, um

0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:55.000
<v Speaker 1>in most cases. But uh, it takes a lot. It's

0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.720
<v Speaker 1>a mental it's a physical thing, it's an emotional thing

0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:01.200
<v Speaker 1>because you have to part ways. Like you know, I

0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:04.080
<v Speaker 1>have a lot of like marine corps like memorabilia and things,

0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.160
<v Speaker 1>and I had to pack all that away and my

0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:09.480
<v Speaker 1>dress blues um from the Marines and you know, so

0:16:09.520 --> 0:16:11.360
<v Speaker 1>I had to pack all that stuff away. Um, I

0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:14.400
<v Speaker 1>have a lot of memories notes um, like about my

0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.360
<v Speaker 1>martial arts days and all these things that I can't

0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:20.320
<v Speaker 1>just go to and get inspiration from or like remember

0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:23.080
<v Speaker 1>where I came from, And so a lot of that

0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.560
<v Speaker 1>just goes away. So you just kind of have to

0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:30.600
<v Speaker 1>focus on what is absolutely a necessity versus anything else.

0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:40.760
<v Speaker 1>So you have all these memories and you put them

0:16:40.800 --> 0:16:46.280
<v Speaker 1>all away. But what did we gain from that? Well,

0:16:46.600 --> 0:16:49.640
<v Speaker 1>we've gained a lot. We've made a lot of memories

0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:53.640
<v Speaker 1>together because it kind of refocuses everything and we spend

0:16:53.720 --> 0:16:56.280
<v Speaker 1>more time together doing stuff, more time talking because there's

0:16:56.320 --> 0:17:00.560
<v Speaker 1>less distractions for sure, and less space. Like we're not

0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:02.520
<v Speaker 1>not that are loft is huge or anything, but like

0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:05.320
<v Speaker 1>you know back then, like I could be in one

0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:06.880
<v Speaker 1>room doing something, you could be in the other room

0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:12.800
<v Speaker 1>doing something. And it's nice that things have gotten cozier

0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.119
<v Speaker 1>with less distractions, and we do more stuff together, whether

0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.160
<v Speaker 1>it's watching and with other people. We meet new people,

0:17:19.280 --> 0:17:21.840
<v Speaker 1>We talked to new people. Because we don't have much

0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:25.280
<v Speaker 1>within our v we we definitely push ourselves out to

0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.480
<v Speaker 1>just talk to more people and visit and explore more.

0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:32.159
<v Speaker 1>That's good too. Yeah, I feel like we've made a

0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:36.159
<v Speaker 1>really broad network of acquaintances and even friends across the country,

0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:39.679
<v Speaker 1>which is really nice and comforting, because that was a

0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:42.720
<v Speaker 1>big struggle, was just like leaving that social safety neut

0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.080
<v Speaker 1>of Chicago in a sense, and then in the in

0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:49.680
<v Speaker 1>the subsequent like year and a half, like making connections

0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.080
<v Speaker 1>with people all over the country and being like now

0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:54.200
<v Speaker 1>I don't feel so tied to one place. I feel

0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:59.040
<v Speaker 1>much more comfortable. There's freedom where I feel like Albuquerque

0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:03.960
<v Speaker 1>is my backyard. I feel like um Portland's Maine is

0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:08.760
<v Speaker 1>my backyard, or Land at Atlanta. These are all places

0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:12.239
<v Speaker 1>that are just amazing. And I remember when we were

0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:16.560
<v Speaker 1>in Nashville, we met a couple Cameron and Jeremy from

0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:21.480
<v Speaker 1>Atlanta and they became great friends. Uh. This past Thanksgiving,

0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:25.000
<v Speaker 1>we actually spent things like friends Giving with them in

0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.520
<v Speaker 1>Atlanta because we were in Atlanta and we were you know,

0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:32.560
<v Speaker 1>we were working and making sure to try to connect

0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.639
<v Speaker 1>with people, and so we've made these great friendships at travel.

0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.800
<v Speaker 1>We did not meet him in Atlanta, so it's weird

0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.840
<v Speaker 1>that we would just be in Atlanta and now we're

0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:44.800
<v Speaker 1>friends and we went out multiple times, we met their friends. Um,

0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.199
<v Speaker 1>and it's just it's really inspiring. The things that you

0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:54.800
<v Speaker 1>gain aren't exactly physical items. They are relationships, they're people.

0:18:55.480 --> 0:19:00.840
<v Speaker 1>There are relationship with earth, with national parks, with wildlife

0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:05.159
<v Speaker 1>and ecology and all these beautiful aspects of what it

0:19:05.240 --> 0:19:09.359
<v Speaker 1>really means, what life means. Yeah, and with Finn too,

0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:12.200
<v Speaker 1>Like that's a big thing because like in Chicago, Yeah,

0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:14.760
<v Speaker 1>we didn't ever take him downtown or anything. We didn't

0:19:14.800 --> 0:19:16.840
<v Speaker 1>go sight seeing with Finn. He was all he really

0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.240
<v Speaker 1>got to do and see was explore the neighborhood and

0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:21.800
<v Speaker 1>wander around. There's a park at the end of the block,

0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:26.800
<v Speaker 1>which is lovely, but like not much like change. He

0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:28.479
<v Speaker 1>would just do the same thing. And when we were

0:19:28.480 --> 0:19:31.320
<v Speaker 1>in Portland, Maine, watching him, he was there was just

0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:34.399
<v Speaker 1>it was full of wonderment. And yeah, he's seen so

0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:36.879
<v Speaker 1>much and we've done so much with him, and his

0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:41.080
<v Speaker 1>enthusiasm is very clear. He has a very emotive face.

0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:43.240
<v Speaker 1>And you can see how we went on a couple

0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.160
<v Speaker 1>of hikes with him in a Katie And National Park

0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:48.280
<v Speaker 1>in Maine, and not only did he pulled his own

0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:50.840
<v Speaker 1>he you know, his tiny little dog with little legs,

0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.639
<v Speaker 1>was able to walk for miles, but he was scrambling

0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:57.480
<v Speaker 1>in like, in and out of little rocks and along

0:19:57.520 --> 0:20:02.440
<v Speaker 1>the shore, and I was blown away and it really

0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:06.080
<v Speaker 1>inspired me. I'm like, wow, your enthusiasm, it's beautiful. Like

0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:07.960
<v Speaker 1>I feel like I'm closer to the meaning of life

0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:11.760
<v Speaker 1>than I've ever been. And that's just like seeing people

0:20:11.960 --> 0:20:15.359
<v Speaker 1>seeing it through Finn, meeting people, talking with people, doing

0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:18.400
<v Speaker 1>something for somebody else. And that's what I fin Field.

0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:20.199
<v Speaker 1>Finn has done for us for so long, and now

0:20:20.200 --> 0:20:22.640
<v Speaker 1>it's nice to see that for him. But that makes

0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:26.280
<v Speaker 1>me me happier than any monetary value out there. Is

0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:30.160
<v Speaker 1>just seeing something done for somebody else, or seeing somebody's

0:20:30.240 --> 0:20:34.440
<v Speaker 1>energy spike because they're in love with the world in nature. Yes,

0:20:34.640 --> 0:20:37.720
<v Speaker 1>it's a wonderful thing and that's been a really rewarding aspect.

0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:44.000
<v Speaker 1>For sure, you've been listening to park Landia, a show

0:20:44.040 --> 0:20:47.439
<v Speaker 1>about national parks. Parkland is a production of My Heart Radio,

0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:51.400
<v Speaker 1>created by Matt Carouac, Brad Carouac and Christopher has theotis

0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:54.480
<v Speaker 1>producer and edited by Mike John's. Our executive producer is

0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:57.560
<v Speaker 1>Christopher has the Otis. Our researcher, It's Jefflyn shield. A

0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:00.560
<v Speaker 1>special things goes out to Gabrielle Collins, Chris to Waters

0:21:00.840 --> 0:21:03.440
<v Speaker 1>and the rest of the Parklandia crew and Hey listeners,

0:21:03.600 --> 0:21:05.560
<v Speaker 1>If you're enjoying the show, leave us a review on

0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:08.840
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts. It helps other people like you find our show.

0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:11.160
<v Speaker 1>You can keep up with us on social media as well.

0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:13.920
<v Speaker 1>Check out our photos from our travels on Instagram at

0:21:13.920 --> 0:21:16.919
<v Speaker 1>Parklandia pod and join in on the conversation and our

0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:20.600
<v Speaker 1>Facebook group Parklandia Rangers. From our podcasts My Heart Radio,

0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:24.080
<v Speaker 1>visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:26.720
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows, and as always, thank you

0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:27.800
<v Speaker 1>for listening.